Perspectives
Venting a soft sigh as she placed the book held within her telekinetic grasp back on its respective shelf, Twilight couldn't help but reflect upon just how crazy the last few weeks had been, and the direction her life had now taken. Within the course of a single day, she had gone from being a socially dead butterfly, whose idea of a good time was locking herself in Canterlot castle's west wing tower with a dozen or so thick tomes, to one of the chosen bearers for arguably Equestria's greatest magical artefacts; the Elements of Harmony.
Since then and her subsequent taking custody of the Ponyville library by Royal decree - a fact that still made her squee in private when nopony was looking; so many books! - Twilight's subsequently increasing interactions with the town's residents reinforced her analysis from what almost felt like a lifetime ago now; these ponies were crazy! Case in point being the whole Grand Galloping Gala tickets debacle, with Pinkie in particular not helping in the slightest by sending the entire town into a frenzy and almost laying siege at her front door. Not to mention Applejack's stubbornness and refusal to accept help with the family orchards a few days later, culminating in numerous problems and a horde of rampaging rabbits of all things.
Thinking about that however brought Twilight's thoughts back around to another particularly resolute pony, or rather horse as she had claimed herself to be. For once the rollercoaster of emotions and revelations from Nightmare Moon's defeat had settled down and cooler heads prevailed, the consequences of their unexpected guardian's actions in those final moments became horrifically clear. From fragmented memories due to the Elements' influence and the patient records Twilight had managed to obtain thanks to Royal privileges, Midnight had thrown herself directly into the path of a class seven offensive spell; presumably Nightmare Moon's last ditch attack, and one infused with such dark magic that it should have torn apart the target at a molecular level on impact.
And yet Midnight still lived; even if the doctors at Ponyville General believed it to be touch and go for quite some time considering the nigh fatal wounds inflicted upon her. Being so much bigger than the average pony probably helped in that regard, but it was a scrawled note on the bottom of one particular nurse's report that provided a possible answer; one that shocked Twilight to her very core.
'No magical signature.'
Equestria by its very nature was steeped in magic, permeating every living thing in existence and even the landscape itself. It was the reason why so many different species could understand one another and co-exist in the spirit of harmony, as laid down millennia before in the wake of the three tribes era. Even nations as far away as Zebrica and the Griffin Principalities had some form of magic filter down into the very lifeblood of their respective populations, but to have no magic at all... Just where exactly had Midnight come from? The library's historical and geographic texts held not one scrap of information on an 'England', let alone 'horses' or even 'humans' at all. It was as if Midnight's species didn't even exist!
But Twilight couldn't ignore the evidence she had witnessed with her own eyes, nor the growing hypothesis that had her scientifically inclined mind positively giddy with excitement. Midnight was very much real, and if the doctors assessments and failed treatment methods thus far were anything to go by, then they were looking at an entirely new species that were an antithesis to magic; one that could absorb vast quantities of channelled energy while largely ignoring its intended effects entirely.
Unfortunately that would make the black-coated mare's recovery a much more arduous process than it would be for the average pony, and likely leave a number of terrible new scars to go with those she still bore. But for now at least Midnight was considered to be in a stable condition and would hopefully make a full recovery any day soon; an occasion for which Pinkie was no doubt already planning on throwing a party given her previous track record and the town's increasingly exaggerated rumour mill surrounding the mysterious equine knight. Hay, there was even a story making the rounds that she was in fact some long lost alicorn princess, for who else could have taken on both a manticore and Nightmare Moon in single combat?
It was an annoying deviation from the facts as Twilight and her new friends had given them in the days after the summer solstice incident, but perhaps not too surprising. Especially given that the only ones to have physically seen Midnight were the new Element bearers, Princess Celestia along with her newly returned sister, and those medical professionals that had battled to save the mare's life. With luck they could set things straight then, and the studious unicorn could finally get the answers she craved straight from the horse's mouth once she had opportunity to settle in. But for now there were more pressing concerns with regards to her findings which simply could not wait.
Settling down upon a soft cushion, Twilight turned an enthusiastic eye towards her nearby and unsurprisingly tired number one assistant given the late hour; yet another late night research session having clearly taken its toll on him. "Spike, I need you to take a letter."
Releasing a small groan, Spike fumbled around for a piece of parchment and quill before making sure it was inked and poised to write; raising a brow towards his mother-come-sister figure and preparing for her to dictate what was sure to be a rather lengthy letter. "Ready, Twilight."
And so, with a grateful smile and clearing of her throat, Twilight Sparkle began. "Dear Princess Celestia..."
{()}
Stood upon the open balcony to her personal chambers with horn ablaze, Princess Celestia watched as the sun's final rays began to fade as it sank below the horizon; ushering in the rising moon's pale light and continuing a cycle that had gone uninterrupted for millennia until but a few weeks past. It was perhaps the single most important duty any ruler could ever hope to bear, and one that had been a constant reminder of perhaps her greatest failure; of whom was no longer by her side, and whose face stared down at her judgmentally from the moon that was her namesake. So it had been for the past one thousand years. But while time is supposed to heal all wounds, guilt merely caused them to seep anew.
If only things had been different, if only they had been more cautious following the defeat of Discord so long ago, then perhaps events would not have transpired as they did. Barely two centuries old and brimming with confidence in their innate abilities, two sisters had sought out the self proclaimed spirit of chaos in their quest to end his regime and restore order to a turbulent land fraught with fear. But Discord had proven to be far more powerful than either alicorn could have imagined, and it was only his sense of amusement at their futile efforts and the entertainment it provided that stayed him from simply wiping the floor with them both.
It was that if nothing else which ultimately led to Discord’s downfall once the Elements’ power was finally unleashed, but not before he could leave a rather unwelcome going away present for those who had finally bested him. For even as his power was restrained and body encased in magically reinforced stone through the Elements’ power, the spirit of chaos left a parting shot with a finger snap and that persistently insufferable grin of his that would change both their lives forever.
“Well, if you wanted to be in charge that badly then fine; it was getting boring anyway. But what say we make things a little more interesting, and see how you handle some responsibility.”
When nothing initially happened, Celestia had thought Discord’s words to be little more than an idle threat from a defeated foe. It wouldn’t be until a week had passed after their joint ascension to the throne and establishment of the diarchy however that the sisters began to notice something decidedly amiss. For each passing morn heralded the beginning of an increasing number of daylight hours that was mirrored by just as many at night, and appeared to be getting steadily worse. But while such an occurrence was theorised to be natural by several learned unicorn astronomers thanks to the moon’s influence, it was supposed to be measured in milliseconds and take millennia to make any real impact upon the planet’s rotational cycle, not mere hours.
In his madness or perhaps through some disturbed form of amusement, Discord’s final act had warped the very fabric of reality itself and permanently destabilised the planet's rotation; causing it to slow down at a rapidly accelerated rate that would soon see it cease altogether and spell extinction for all. No amount of magic could ever hope to fix something of that magnitude, not even that of both alicorns and every unicorn in existence combined. But with enough effort and sufficient thaumic energy from the Elements themselves, a workaround was swiftly found; one that would ensure the world’s continued existence, but at the cost of forever binding both Celestia and Luna to a responsibility without measure.
For while the Elements’ power was able to help restart the planet’s rotation, it was not a permanent solution; what should have been continuous momentum decaying rapidly to the point that it would soon run out within a few dozen hours and cease altogether. To prevent this, the sisters would complete a twice daily ritual that would impart sufficient energy to replace that lost and keep the Planet’s momentum going much like a child‘s spinning top; ensuring that each side had its turn in the sun and life continued on. It was a monumental task, and one that had taken its toll on body and spirit both in equal measure. But shared equally between the pair, it was a burden that united Celestia and Luna in a way that nothing else could.
Or at least it did for a while, until centuries of rule and devotion from their ponies had left her ignorant and dismissive of her dear sister’s concerns; complacency breeding contempt that drew a wedge between them both that could so easily been resolved.
Betrayal, arrogance, and jealousy had culminated into an event which very nearly ended all life upon this world for the second time in memory; and all for something so stupid as one sister not willing to share with the other. It was a petty squabble which grew and festered over time; one to which she was blinded by her self importance until it was already far too late, resulting in a battle that tore their fledgling kingdom apart and left her to shoulder the burden alone.
Such truths were of course brushed from history or otherwise forgotten as time passed, with the ponies of Equestria firmly believing that she alone controlled the very heavens themselves. But moons orbit planets, and planets orbit their parent star as they have always done; not even one lauded as a goddess could alter that in spite of the overwhelming power she might wield.
Had this been what Discord intended all along for his usurpers; to teach them a pre-emptive lesson in humility? To show that there is always something far greater out there no matter how powerful one became, and to pass the reins in such a way that they could never truly be relinquished to any other for fear that it would all come to an end? It was these questions and more that Celestia often found herself pondering in her rare few moments of peace once the day’s duties had concluded, and even now close to two millennia since those terrible events, she was still no closer to finding the answer.
Whether through some warped sense of duty to Equestria’s future or out of sheer spite in defeat, only Discord knew the real truth behind his own actions, and he wasn’t likely to be waking up any time soon. Nor was Celestia inclined to ever release the spirit of chaos from his stony prison for the sake of sating her curiosity.
"Tia, what are you doing?"
Then again, neither was it time to dwell upon the past and what could have been, for Celestia was no longer alone.
Gone was the lingering reminder of her greatest mistake forever etched upon the moon and the bitter memories it had invoked. Gone was the terrible sense of loneliness and isolation spending a thousand years apart had inflicted upon her soul. For thanks to a plan set in motion so long ago and the single-minded determination of perhaps the greatest magical prodigy she had ever had the pleasure of tutoring, Luna had returned alive and well. Free of the monstrous being that controlled her like a puppet and its influence, though not quite up to her full power just yet.
Stepping back down from the balcony and into the darkened room, Celestia took in her much shorter sister with a loving smile; the soon to be re-established alicorn of the moon looking exceptionally cute in her currently growing but still filly-like state, with a plush unicorn doll held close to her chest and eyes wide with curiosity. It was a look that reminded her of much better times during their childhood when the world was much more simpler and every day was an adventure to be had; where responsibilities were nonexistent and the hardest decision she had to make involved what to have for dessert.
How times change.
Leaning down to nuzzle her fondly, Celestia couldn't help but giggle at the indignant noises Luna made upon being smothered in affection. Deny it though she might however, Lulu was still a cuddle bug after all these years, and didn't exactly make much effort to get away from her sister's embrace until the sun alicorn finally took a step back. "Raising the moon, Lulu. Don't you remember what we discussed last week?"
"But you said we're supposed to do it together," not quite whined with an adorable pout. "Why didn't you wake me up?"
Celestia sighed happily before replying, finding comfort in slipping back into the older sister role after so long apart. "Because you need to rest and regain your strength, dear sister of mine. Being responsible for this, keeping the endless cycle running, is enough to take its toll upon anypony. And considering the Elements have drained much of your magic along with the dark influence that had consumed you for so long, I am not willing to risk your well being."
"But Tia-"
A hoof upon her shoulder quickly stalled Luna's words once she took in the saddened look upon Celestia's face. "I promise you Luna, this is only for a little while longer. We were destined to rule together, and the moment you are able to resume your duties I shall gladly step aside." Her lips quirked into a faint, self depreciating smile. "Besides which, I do not believe there to be any other able to bring about a night quite like yourself, and I've had more than ample amount of practice in the meantime."
"But of course," Luna retorted with faux haughtiness that made her sister snicker at the sight. "After all, we are the ruler of the night, are we not?"
"Perhaps so, little Lulu," Celestia replied with an amused twinkle in her eye. "But not until you've grown up. Again."
The much shorter alicorn huffed in annoyance and was just about to retort when a scroll materialised above their heads in a burst of flame; Celestia catching and unsealing it with her telekinetic grip before poring over the contents with growing interest and widening eyes. "No... Magic?"
"Sister?"
The elder diarch blinked before turning her attention back towards her younger sibling. "My apologies Luna, but this letter from my student... You recall Twilight Sparkle?"
Luna nodded. "How could I not? Without her and the other Element bearers I would still be held in the grip of Nightmare Moon, or perhaps worse had their guardian not intervened when she did. Why sister, what is amiss?"
Celestia nodded slowly in return. "Indeed they did, and we owe much to them all for their assistance in our hour of need. But after hearing of their journey and the mare named Midnight's role in it, I asked my dear student to see what else she could discover about her origins. If this theory is correct however and all the other information holds true, then this pony has no magical signature whatsoever."
"But that's impossible!" Luna protested. "All creatures have a magical signature no matter how small or where they come from!"
"On this world perhaps," the alicorn of the sun agreed. "But there is one such place of which we both know of where magic does not exist in any visible form, and where a mare such as her might learn to invoke mother's name in the manner Twilight recounted."
"But sister, surely you can't mean..."
Celestia merely shook her head, not a strand of magically flowing mane falling out of place. "Perhaps or perhaps not, even I can not be certain. But once the hospital sends word of this Midnight's recovery, I do believe it may be time for us to seek the truth at its source."
{()}
Making her last rounds of the evening, Nurse Redheart stifled a small yawn as she stepped out of the almost deserted children's ward and gently closed the door behind her; the only occupant being a little pegasus filly with a sprained wing who was now sleeping soundly. Starting up the corridor once more with her hooves clopping unnaturally loud upon the polished floor, the earth pony couldn't help but let her mind wander just a little as she fast approached her last scheduled stop of this shift on the hospital's far side; thoughts turning towards the isolated room's unusual patient and the circumstances that brought her here.
She had in fact been on a coffee break when the emergency call out came over Ponyville General's PA system; galloping out of the break room and almost running head first into Doctor Stable as he too raced towards the front entrance at full tilt. They were swiftly joined by a ragtag herd of orderlies pushing a gurney plus a few more doctors and nurses en route, but once the herd had burst through the double doors leading on to the reception area and skidded to a halt in front of Princess Celestia herself of all ponies, it was abundantly clear that even they might not be enough to deal with the situation.
For in front of Equestria's ruler and a mixed group of ponies lay quite possibly the biggest earth pony that Redheart had ever seen; easily outweighing most of those present combined even without the mangled remains of her armour, and likely as tall as the Princess were she not currently lying in an expanding pool of her own blood. The mystery pony's life signs were extremely weak and her sickening wounds so grave that Redheart honestly didn't believe she was even going to make it to surgery in time. But for once she was thankfully proven wrong as everypony got to work with clinical precision and a shared determination to save this mare's life.
Larger plates of charred and bloody armour were cautiously removed while being mindful of the concealed injuries beneath, the gurney magically transfigured to better withstand the mare's considerable weight, and a combined effort was needed just to even get her on to it in the first place. But in the end they had prevailed, and with a fellow nurse keeping pressure on the oozing, hoofball-sized barrel wound that made Redheart feel queasy just looking at it, the medical team just barely managed to get her to the operating room in time. From there it was down to the few dedicated trauma surgeons on duty plus whomever was able to assist, and the pale-coated nurse could do nought but wait while hoping for the best.
In the end Redheart had ended up staying on for a good five hours after her shift had officially ended, acting as a liaison with Princess Celestia and her entourage of ponies - including the smaller alicorn she had somehow missed in the initial rush - and keeping them updated on their friend's condition. It was here that she also learned the mare's name and reason for being admitted in such a state, having been stuck on the night shift and otherwise unable to attend the celebration in town.
Even now she could scarcely believe that the old pony tale of Nightmare Moon was in fact true and had almost brought about eternal night. Nor that those seven ponies were able to defeat an alicorn who had managed to seal away their rightful ruler, or the heroic sacrifice of their largest member to ensure victory. And yet here she was just about to check in on said pony for the umpteenth time that day; opening the innocuous-looking door ahead of her and stepping into the recovery room where a heavily sedated Midnight had been kept hooked up to a heart rate monitor and IV drip ever since her successful operation.
The mare in question still lay on the enlarged and reinforced bed while breathing rhythmically; bandages and medical tape covering a significant amount of her hulking frame, and especially around her mid-section where the worst scar tissue was yet to heal properly. But other than that and a significant amount of blood loss, Midnight appeared to be doing just fine given how badly things could have gone. A cursory inspection of the monitoring equipment showed strong vitals and her medical chart indicated that the magically replicated blood transfusion had taken well without rejection; a small miracle unto itself really given the mare's surprising and virtually impossible deficiency in something that should have been as natural as breathing.
Giving a nod of approval and signing off the chart with her own observations, Nurse Redheart was just about to exit the confined room when a sudden presence to her left made her jump in surprise; one she could have sworn wasn't there a minute ago. With a hoof pressed firmly against her chest and an elevated heart rate, she directed a narrow-eyed glare towards the pony who was only now rising from the visitor's chair that had been shoved into a darkened corner. "S-sir, visiting hours are between ten and five. I'm going to have to ask you to leave."
"My apologies for startling you, my dear," the oddly skinny-looking stallion responded with a rather cultured voice and brief bow of his head, before fixing the nurse with a wide smile and luminous blue eyes that left her feeling a little uneasy. "I merely wished to check upon a rather special acquaintance of mine."
"Well you can do that tomorrow, just like everpony else," Redheart huffed while ushering him out; finding his black, hooded cloak strangely cold to the touch. "Right now she needs all the rest she can get."
"And so I shall, when she wakes," he replied with a hint of amusement before bowing his head and meeting her gaze once more. "Until then, I bid you adieu. And don't worry about showing me out. I'm sure I can find the way."
Having no intention of letting some strange pony walk around the hospital on their own without supervision, Redheart took a moment to lock the door in case anypony else decided to pay a flying visit and was about to escort him off the premises, only to find nought but an empty corridor. A brief search of the surrounding area found not a single trace and none of the other night staff she had run into had even seen the stallion; the only evidence that he even existed being her own memories and a constantly lingering cold presence outside of Midnight's room, as if he had simply vanished into thin air.
All Redheart knew was that he gone, and a cup of camomile tea followed by several hours of uninterrupted sleep sounded really good right about now. If only she knew then just how true his words would soon ring. For the following dawn would mark a new day; and with it, Midnight finally woke up.
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So she is stable...
Oh, that's a load off my shoulders. She's fine, recovering nicely.
I just would like to know what Death was thinking at the moment.
*raise a finger*
It has been proven repeatedly that the world of Equestria does not follow our Celestial Mechanic.
7577103
Not to mention that would be actually harder than moving a moon, since the planet has far more mass.
Personally I like the headcanon, not sure who made it first, that makes Equus Sun to be the size of a moon, making it possible for an Alicorn to move it.
Does that mean that she is resistant to magic save for harmful offensive spells, or is she capable of absorbing it from the environment around her without suffering any backlash?
Tracking.
7578867 plus it would also only need to be started once. It'd just keep spinning after that.
7580529
A little of column A, a little of column B. Midnight isn't immune to the effects of magic by any margin, but it does have a dramatically lessened effect upon her. While some of the magical energy making up a spell achieves its intended effect upon her, a majority is broken down and absorbed into her body almost like a heat sink before gradually being dissipated from her system. Useful for shrugging off otherwise lethal offensive spells, but not so good for when it comes to being magically healed. Although with time and research, who's to say twilight won't find some way for Midnight to make use of such energy...?
The magnetic core of the planet protects the athmospere from being blown away by the sun, it has nothing to do with a planet's rotation. Just thought I'd mention that.
7582949
It's also a planet of magic horses, maybe it's not too important.
7577103
*also raises a finger*
If everything related to the breaking of the day/night cycle was done during the battle between Celestia and Nightmare Moon, and the fixing was all done after NMM's banishment, then how can Luna be "resuming" her duties? Also, how can either of them have any idea Luna's potential ability in "turning the planet in the evening," or her efficacy at doing more than simple planetary rotation?
*another finger*
There's enough magic to break the system, and to work-around the remains, but not enough to fix it?
7578867
That... seems an awfully arbitrary determination to make, given magic can be defined however the writer wants.
But in that regard, I like AdmiralTigerclaw's explanation. They do something like a pulse that "jumps" (jump drive) their entire star by a tiny increment, but they can do it on microwave frequencies (millions of times per second). If each pulse moves the star 1/10 of a millimeter, that still equates to over a million miles per hour.
7582949 Actually, a planet's rotation has a lot to do with the electromagnetic field (EMF). It is the spinning of the molten core that produces the planet's magnetic field. Furthermore, our EMF mostly shields us from the radiation our star produces...Sol doesn't tend to vomit mass bursts of gasses/ plasma that would strip away our atmosphere. Coronal mass ejections have ~93,000,000 miles (150million KM) to dissipate prior to striking us, usually leaving us with nothing more than one heck of a light-show. Again, in this instance our EMF does a lot to protect us from the charge that plasma carries. Even still, it could theoretically knock out all electrical systems on this planet if a powerful enough one were to strike us.
TL;DR: If they didn't get Equis rotating, thus restarting their EMF, they've got bigger problems than freezing to death... Like dying of radiation exposure.
(Face meets desk) Ugh... How the hell did I not see this the first time around?
With this and the other comments in-between on the validity of my interpretation as to how and why Celestia and Luna might control the day/night cycle, I'm really going to have to go back to the drawing board on a good portion of this chapter. Unfortunately however, that will have to wait until I've got enough time to sit down and work out just how to proceed.
It's a hell of a lot easier to crack an egg than to piece it back together, and the end result will never be truly whole since bits will almost inevitably go missing.
The original idea was that in this particular universe, the celestial mechanics worked exactly like our own; with planets orbiting their parent star, etc. The conflict between Celestia and Nightmare moon however escalated to the point that at its climax, their combined and unrestrained magical output caused the planet to briefly cease rotating altogether.
The work around solution was to jump start the planet's rotation with the Elements acting as a catalyst. But with the planet still essentially broken and lingering magical fallout, what should have been continuous momentum instead began to bleed off at an extremely rapid rate; almost like a spinning top in motion.
To keep said spinning top... well, spinning, one must impart more energy to replace that lost in regular increments and that's pretty much what Celestia was forced to do. In 'raising' the sun or moon every day over the past 1000 years, she was in fact helping to give the planet a magically assisted 'push' to keep its momentum going.
Looking back now, it was probably a stupid idea to try something original like that without proper research or taking lord knows how many other factors into consideration. But we live and learn I guess, and hopefully I'll be able to come up with a proper solution in due time rather than a quick fix.
Finally. Midnight might FINALLY be having something of an actual effect on the world and characters around her through the revelation that she has no magic and some unknown connection to the princesses' mother.
The story should have begun here.
glad you are rethinking this idea. Plus we know that the unicorns took care of this and Discord messed with it BEFORE that fight.
Why must people expect that in a world of impossible magical ponies and monsters and dragons and Discord and bug ponies that eat love... and a ton of other totally unrealistic stuff which could never exist in our universe due to the laws of physics utterly forbidding any of it... that a little magical Sun and Moon can't orbit a planet?
7598159 Heliocentrolatry: The worship of the idea of heliocentrism in all possible universes, ever, because it is the best and only explanation that can ever exist for cosmology, and all other ideas are so stupid no rational person could ever contemplate them under any circumstances whatsoever.
People get really weird about science sometimes, but I've observed this particular phenomenon an awful lot. Making weird excuses to try to somehow salvage this precious, precious idea that a sun is a star, a star is a gigantic ball of fusing plasma, planets are smaller balls that gravitationally orbit stars, and so on and so forth. But, of course, there is no evidence that any of that is true in Equestria at all! And clinging to a theory that has no evidence for it and plenty of evidence against is not science. It's just scientism.
bullheadedness
Discord's
Neat day-night explanation. Not seen that one before.
Okay the way it sounded is that Links Epona is the mother from Celestia and Luna and a god to Midnight?
While I'm not sure if I like it that Epona is made a god here, or at least an Equestrian god, it is far better than the usal oh Faust Oh Faust.
Somehow I suddenly think it would be a funny idea to let Big Mac have a chrush on our big Mare, just because she is probably like a huge Big Mac would look like....in a way. baaah I could describe it better, but I just think it would be maybe funny to see and it is one of the rare shippings with Big Mach I could enjoy.
7953616
https://youtu.be/EHKVNp6n9rw
Epona isnt just a video game charecter. The author seems to like History.
7965460 hooray history!
Shouldn't this be "operating room" or "operating theater?" Typically surgery isn't done in the lobby.
The sun thing makes no sense. We've seen in heartwarming Eve that they moved the sun before she showed up.
And then made discord to Q He HAS limits you know
8282402
Fan fiction does not care for your petty opinions
8282402
Wat.